February 27, 2024

In this newsletter:

What Gregg's Been Up To
Spring Training Is Here!
2024 Back to School PBC!
AI Outlook
Gregg In The News
Commish In The Community
Elections 2024

What Gregg's Been Up To

Gregg is recovering from surgery on his right rotator cuff, but he isn’t missing a beat. Just two days after the procedure he was back on the dais for a zoning hearing. At the February 22 meeting, the board voted unanimously to allow legitimate home-based businesses in The Acreage up to two commercial vehicles weighing no more than 16,000 lbs. each, a position Gregg has held all along and wrote about in the newspaper.

At the same meeting, Gregg, with support of the board, directed staff to write a letter to the South Florida Water Management District and the Army Corps of Engineers about the way Lake Okeechobee is being managed. Currently, we are at the end of the dry season and the lake levels are rather high at 16+ feet. And with the wet season just around the corner, the Corps recently started discharges, including discharges to the Lake Worth Lagoon, which harms our local estuary. The Palm Beach Post’s Kimberly Miller wrote about it.

How the lake levels are managed is dictated by an operational schedule, but the Corps appears not to have followed it, and the county’s letter that Gregg directed staff to write calls this out. The letter also asks the agencies to study the impacts of freshwater discharges on the health of the Lake Worth Lagoon. Modeling has been done on the impacts that releases have on the Caloosahatchee River to our west and on the St Lucie River to our north, but no such modeling exists for the Lake Worth Lagoon. The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board agrees that the Lake Worth Lagoon deserves better than stepchild status.

Earlier in the month, Gregg had a successful visit to Washington, DC where he briefed the National Association of Counties on Artificial Intelligence and met with President Biden. The Biden administration appointed Gregg to serve on an advisory committee to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Scroll down to Gregg in the News to read all about it.

We are continuing to make the rounds to communities in our district, eager to learn about AI and how it will impact our lives. More than 200 people came out to Friday’s event at the Bellagio community to hear Gregg speak. If you’d like Gregg to talk to a group you’re involved with, just send us an email or give us a call.

Thanks for reading our newsletter!

Spring Training Is Here!

Every Tuesday & Thursday, Seniors 55+ can enjoy BOGO Tickets

at The Ballpark! Click here for details.

The 2022 World Series Champion Houston Astros and 2019 World Series Champion Washington Nationals are thrilled to welcome fans to CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches for Spring Training 2024! This year’s schedule brings in the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, The Boston Red Sox, the Space Cowboys, the Minnesota Twins, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins. See the home teams or your visiting fave.

Click here for the full schedule.

2024 Back to School PBC!

Though there are still three more months to go before summer vacation, registration for the 2024 Back to School PBC! event is officially OPEN. Eligible students can receive FREE school supplies, backpacks, and more! This event also offers health screenings, vision tests, and more!

Event Date: Saturday, August 3, 2024

Locations: South, Central, North County, and the Glades

Click here to Register by May 1, 2024 (deadline)

Enter code: PBCOCR

For assistance or questions, contact ocrnews@pbcgov.org. Let's spread the word and help make this school year amazing for all our students!

AI Insights

FINES COMING FOR AI-GENERATED ROBOCALLS

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just made a new rule that targets robocalls made with AI voice-cloning tools. The new rule follows recent incidents of AI-generated robocalls using President Joe Biden's voice to deter people from voting in last month's New Hampshire primary. Breaking the new rule can lead to big fines, possibly over $23,000 for each call. People who get these calls can sue and may get up to $1,500 for each unwanted call. Click here for more on the new ruling. It's also covered in the video below!

Graphic displaying introduction to news story on new ruling about robocalls

AI You Can Use

Jana, here! When teachers AND students get behind a tool, you know it must be good. That's the vibe with Socratic, a free AI-powered tutor from Google. Socratic is a learning app designed to help high school and university students (or just curious people) understand academic subjects and double-check coursework.

To use Socratic, you have three options: take a photo, record your voice, or type your question. Socratic finds info from top educational sources and gives step-by-step answers, study help, and video links. It also has an "explore" feature for expert-curated content on topics like biology, chemistry, history, algebra, and more.

To learn more about Socratic click here.

Download the app for Apple devices: App Store.

Download the app for Android users: Google Play.

Check out a local news reporter's review of Socratic in the video below!

That’s it for today. If you’d like us to write about a specific AI topic email us at district2@pbc.gov.

Video thumbnail image of news story on the Socratic app

AI Calendar

Note: Not all the events listed below are open to the public

3/4/24 @ 10:00 AM: Gregg will make a presentation at the Tivoli Lakes Men's Club in Boynton Beach. Event starts at 8:30am, with Gregg speaking at 10am. Contact Moishe Sniad for more information.

3/4/24 @ 6:30 PM: Gregg will make a presentation at the Baywinds Clubhouse. Residents can contact George Singer for more information.

3/7/24 @ 1:30 PM: AI presentation at the Century Village Clubhouse. Century Village residents can contact John Hess for more information.

3/14/2024 @ 1:00 PM: Golden Lakes Democratic Club. Contact Ann Frances for information.

3/25/24 @ 4:00 PM: AI forum, The Club at Ibis. Ibis residents can contact Judy Budnick for more information.

4/9/24 @ 7:00 PM: AI presentation at The Groves Community in Boynton Beach. Residents can contact Pamela Avalos for more information.

4/11/2024 @ 12:00 PM: United Methodist Church at 900 Brandywine Rd. West Palm Beach. Contact Margie Yansura for more information.

If you would like to invite Gregg to give a presentation in your community on artificial intelligence or any other topic, just contact our office at: district2@pbc.gov or 561-355-2202

Palm Beach Post:

Lake Worth Lagoon deserves better than 'step-child' status

County to truckers in Acreage: You have until July 1 to find new spots to park big rigs

WPTV West Palm Beach:

People rally in support of truck drivers in Loxahatchee

OutSFL:

OutSFL Celebrates 40 Years of Melissa St. John’s Community Service

Other:

Federal Communications Commission selects County Commissioner Gregg Weiss to serve on Intergovernmental Advisory Committee

Commish in the Community

Celebrations, anniversaries, meeting with agencies, recognizing community leaders, joining neighbors' festivities and going to neighborhood meetings... Commissioner Weiss spends a LOT of time in the community.

"As an elected official, I want to be part of the community I represent," said Commissioner Weiss. "I want to understand the issues in my district, and that's why I spend many evenings attending events to listen and learn."

If you'd like to invite Commissioner Weiss to your event, let us know.

County Commissioner Gregg Weiss outdoors speaking on stage with Ukrainian flag showing

"Believe in Ukraine" Rally

Ukrainian families and their supporters gathered on the Great Lawn in downtown West Palm Beach for a rally to shed light on the ongoing struggles of the Ukrainian nation. Gregg forcefully spoke out in support of Ukraine spoke at the event to draw attention to this critical topic and inspire hope and solidarity among the audience. Click here to see Gregg's rally speech.

AI Lecture at the Bellaggio

The Bellaggio Clubhouse ballroom was the setting for Gregg's presentation on artificial intelligence. Billed as "The Rise of New Future Technology," his lecture drew an audience of 200+ community residents! Click here for more pics.

NACo Conference in DC

Gregg joined the nearly 2,000 county officials in attendance at the 2024 National Association of Counties (NACo) conference in DC. In between meetings and moderating a panel on AI, he squeezed in a tour of the White House. Click here for more pics!

Meeting President Biden

After President Biden's speech to the General Session audience at this year's National Association of Counties (NACo) legislative conference, Gregg personally thanked Biden for appointing him to the FCC Intergovernmental Advisory Committee.

Visit Gregg's Facebook Page